China is a vast, disparate country; there is no alternative to strong central power.
Lee Kuan YewRead
I am often accused of interfering in the private lives of citizens. Yes, if I did not, had I not done that, we wouldn't be here today. And I say without the slightest remorse, that we wouldn't be here, we would not have made economic progress, if we had not intervened on very personal matters - who your neighbour is, how you live, the noise you make, how you spit, or what language you use. We decide what is right. Never mind what the people think.
Interpretation
What this quote means
The quote emphasizes the importance of government intervention in personal lives for the sake of societal progress.
Lee Kuan Yew's quote reflects his belief that active governmental involvement in the minutiae of citizens' lives is necessary to ensure economic advancement and social order. He expresses no regrets for such interference, suggesting that without regulation and oversight, society would not achieve the collective good or progress. This perspective raises questions about the balance between individual freedoms and societal welfare.
Themes
InterventionGovernmentProgressSocietyEconomics
In practice
Example use cases
In a discussion about the role of government in economic growth, one might reference this quote to highlight the necessity of intervention.
More from Lee Kuan Yew
All quotes →I can feel the gradual decline of energy and vitality. And I mean generally, every year, when you know you are not on the same level as last year. But that's life.
Lee Kuan YewRead
Political reform need not go hand in hand with economic liberalization.. I hold unconventional views about this.. I do not believe if you are a libertarian, full of diverse opinions, full of competing ideas in the market place, full of sound and fury, therefore you will succeed.
Lee Kuan YewRead
The human being is an unequal creature. That is a fact. And we start off with the proposition. All the great religions, all the great movements, all the great political ideology, say let us make the human being as equal as possible. In fact, he is not equal, never will be.
Lee Kuan YewRead
They say, oh, let’s have multiparty politics. Let’s have different parties change and be in charge of the Government. Is it that simple? You vote in a Division Three government, not a Division One government, and the whole economy will just subside within three, four years. Finished.
Lee Kuan YewRead
America's greatest long-term influence on China comes from playing host to the thousands of students who come from China each year, some of the ablest Chinese scholars and scientists. They will be the most powerful agents for change in China.
Lee Kuan YewRead
Similar quotes
It is the right of government to protect the weak; it is the right of the weak to find in their courts fair treatment before the law.
Robert KennedyRead
Your position never gives you the right to command. It only imposes on you the duty of so living your life that others can receive your orders without being humiliated.
Dag HammarskjoldRead
A leader is one who knows the way, goes the way, and shows the way.
John C. MaxwellRead
Global security can be formed or threatened by heads of state whose wisdom, folly and obsessions shape global events. But often it is the security practitioners, those rarely in the headlines but whose craft and energy quietly break new ground, who keep us safe or put us in peril.
Michael HaydenRead
We must acknowledge that there are factions in our movements... We should not be telling lies to each other; we should tell the truth to each other with the view that there will be unity.
Cyril RamaphosaRead
Empathy represents the foundation skill for all the social competencies important for work.
Daniel GolemanRead